Weakness
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Lightning recollected about his defeat during the Brotherhood of Evil's seige. In his rage and self-pity, Lightning harmed the one person he vowed never to hurt again.


Teen Titans © DC Comics

Weakness

Lightning stared up at the sky. His pale eyes glazed over, glaring death at whatever crossed his path. Be it a bird or an insect, he would growl at it until it took flight. He lay back on the cloud, simply glowering at the bright orange and red hues of the sunset that swarmed across his sky. Thunder was gone, but he wasn't concentrating on his brother now. What concerned him was his defeat.

Robin had sent him and Thunder towards a city in the West Coast due to the crime rate. They were closest to Kid Flash, but he ran off somewhere, stating he had to find someone. Lightning and Thunder split up, still in contact with their twin communicators when Lightning traveled to the inner city while Thunder stood guard outside.

While he was off guard, watching the city from a rooftop, an electrical tendril wrapped around his lithe waist and heaved him off the ground. Being taken off balance, Overload managed to strike with a lucky punch to his face that sent Lightning spiraling into the air. However, he was quick to recover and weave around the shocking tendrils and fire off blasts of his namesake when Professor Chang, outraged that he failed in making a quick buck of Lightning when trying to sell him as a genie, struck him from behind with a lightning rod. The last thing he saw before failing into darkness was Thunder in the outskirts of the same city being captured by pincers.

When he woke up, he found himself between the honorable Bushido and his brother in some sort of strange pod. He attempted to use his energy to escape, but it merely bounced back and absorbed back to his arms. Thunder had been speaking to the British heroine, Argent, before noticing Lightning's awakening. However, it was only moments before Bushido was suddenly frozen, and Lightning's pod was dragged down the conveyor belt. Then the freezing blast came where he barely had time to throw his arms in front of him in a protective stance before losing to the ice. Lightning thought he was dead.

Then Mas y Menos freed him and the rest of the Titans. The rest was history, but Lightning could not let the past go. He hated the fact that he lost, but too lose so easily poisoned his mind. To lose was weakness, and Lightning did not like being weak. When Thunder and he fought over Lightning's hedonistic ways, he perceived that Thunder was calling him weak when in reality, Thunder only wanted his brother to try to be safer and respect him more.

Eventually, Lightning heeded Thunder's warning. However, he became lackluster in his performance as a Titan, accidentally letting some villains escape, misfiring shots, and just today, he injured Thunder with a severe shock to his shoulder. Thunder was rushed to the hospital, and Lightning was horrified at what he had done. He never wanted to harm his beloved brother ever. Lightning was told he would be getting better and was sent away. The hospital was closing, but Lightning was adamant about remaining with his brother until security guards kicked him out. When he glanced over his shoulder to see if the hospital was really closed, he scowled at the lights and people inside. Maybe he shouldn't have punched the doctor in the face when he claimed he was being too "riled up".

Storming up to the clouds, he decided to watch the sky dissipate to the night which is where he was right now. Lightning glared at the sky, hating himself for being so foolish to hurt Thunder while thinking of ways how he could have defeated Overload and Professor Chang. Sighing angrily to himself, he vehemently directed his hands across the cloud, firing off twin bolts in opposite paths to try to skewer his rage. If the five original Titans were to come up to him right there, he figured what they would say. Beast Boy would try and lighten his spirits with a joke; Starfire would give him a back-breaking embrace; Cyborg would probably cheer up him by ratting out a silly reminder of something Beast Boy did; Robin would go all holier-than-thou and tell him that the Brotherhood of Evil was gone, and Raven would tell him to get it together and that the past could not be changed.

Lightning rubbed his temples, groaning softly and turned. Currently, the brothers resided over a city nearby Jump. They constructed a few storms before returning to fighting crime as part of their duties as Titans. Thunder had noticed the change in Lightning, but whenever he tried to ask him about it, Lightning would brush him off and change the subject. Lightning knew that Thunder was concerned, but it was better that he kept to himself, but after the incident of accidentally hurting his own brother…he didn't know what to do.

_What have I done? I never meant to harm my brother,_ he thought morbidly, drawing his hand through his namesake-like hair. _How could I have been so foolish?_

Sighing, he sat up and stared down at the city. The hospital was in sight as he peered through a small clearing in the clouds. Lightning fidgeted nervously, praying silently for the day to end so he could see how Thunder fared. If anything, he hoped that his sibling wasn't too seriously injured.

At that moment, his Titan communicator began to chime. Startled, he fumbled towards a small patch of clouds that created a table and snatched his. "Lightning is speaking."

"Brother!" Thunder excitedly replied.

Lightning straightened jovially, a smile splitting onto his face. "Are you safe, brother? I am sorry! I did not mean to hurt you!"

"Calm yourself!" Thunder snickered, grinning with equal merit. "I am not deceased."

The final word sent a strange pang into Lightning's chest, making him gulp. "Yet, you fare well?"

"The doctors said that my status is normal. My shoulder is healing as we speak." The blue elemental exposed a set of bandages draped across his shoulder before going back to his face. "My doctor mentioned that you hit him across the jaw."

Cringing, Lightning frowned arrogantly. "He refused to let me see you! I was frustrated at his lack of cooperation!"

"His story is that you were shrieking at him and did not give him any time to speak." Thunder's eyebrows curved together, forming a confused glower. "Brother, are you okay? I know there is something on your mind, but you have been secretive. Please, I am your brother. I know this, but I cannot help you if you do not tell me."

Biting his lip only proved Thunder's theory. Lightning squirmed, fretful at the pace of their conversation. Quietly, he asked, "May I come down there?"

Thunder paused for a moment. Quickly, his head turned towards the door in his hospital room before nodding. Lightning transmuted his lower half into electricity, dashing down towards the hospital. He bypassed the windows outside, peering in each one until he located his brother in the corner room at the top. Smiling, he knocked on the glass, and Thunder blissfully unlocked the window with one arm. There Lightning saw the damage he had done.

Thunder's right arm was wrapped up in bandages with a sling attached. He could have sworn he saw crusted blood on the top of his broad shoulder. Immediately, Lightning's spirit sank opposed to Thunder's gleeful expression. Slowly, shakily, Lightning's hand found its way to his mouth in utter shock.

"B-brother…I…" Lightning trailed off, too terrified to speak. Gingerly, he reached out and caressed the wound on Thunder's shoulder.

Thunder twitched, trying to keep himself composed when Lightning jerked away. "I am fine, I insist."

"No, you are not, and I harmed you!" Lightning blurted. "I fear I will do it again."

Thunder sighed, sitting back down on his hospital bed and pulled the covers over himself. Lightning slumped by him, his back propped against Thunder's chest. Silence dawned awkwardly on them. Even in past dukes, they never severely hurt each other. Sure, a few bumps and bruises, but bandages and blood were never involved. Thunder gently placed a hand on Lightning's shoulder, making him react to the touch with a look of sorrow.

"I know there was…is something troubling you," Thunder stated calmly. "I am your brother. You may confide in me whenever you need to, Lightning."

Lightning's nails dug into his palms, finding the tiled floor to be the most interesting prospect in his life at the moment. Anything to get out of the conversation with Thunder at that point in his mind. He didn't want to admit what he was feeling. In his soul, he perceived himself as weak and gullible, susceptive to pain. Sustaining his raw emotions to the back of his mind, he sighed and hung his head.

"Brother?" Thunder leaned forward, keeping his grip on the yellow elemental's shoulder tight.

"The Brotherhood of Evil…the battle still haunts me. It is not the battle in their Paris base that concerns me, it is before that troubles me," Lightning admitted softly. "I believed I could have defeated Overload by myself, but Professor Chang came out of nowhere and…" Lightning cut himself off, ashamed. There was no greater loss than that of failure in his mind. "I was weak. I could not handle myself. I continuously try to figure out how I could have lost, but each ploy I come up with has a counter effect. I cannot stand that fact that I lost!" He seethed, glaring up at the window, tempted to destroy it. Giving into his desires, Lightning charged up his palm full of energy and was prepared to slash the window in half when Thunder snatched his wrist with his good hand.

"Stop, brother!" Thunder commanded, startling Lightning. "Hold on, please. You were concerned over your loss?"

Lightning's cheeks reddened with fury and embarrassment. "Are brothers not supposed to cheer the other up when forlorn and troubled with their thoughts?" he heatedly snapped back.

"I am sorry for that, but you must remember that the Brain had everything planned. He tracked down our movements with Hotspot's communicator after he was frozen," Thunder reasoned. "He sent out opponents that would attack when we were tired, and during my battle with the Instigator and Steamroller, I was getting exhausted by the time the former clasped me in its pincers. All of us who were captured were outnumbered, tricked or even confused on who the enemy was. That includes Robin when he mistook Madame Rouge for Hotspot." Thunder smiled, bringing his brother close to his chest. At Lightning's aggravated groan, he chuckled heartily. "See, brother? There were others that were defeated like the male members of Titans East except for Mas. You and I are not the only ones who were usurped."

Lightning frowned, pouting and crossed his arms. "Still!" he whined, shoulders slumping. "Why did I have to lose?"

Thunder frowned, nudging him in the ribs. "Come, brother, was the need to complain about this so great?"

"…Yes."

Thunder wrapped his arm around Lightning's neck, bringing him back into his chest. Lightning yelped, glaring up to Thunder as he sneered. Keeping his glare persistent, Lightning snarled as Thunder began to ruffle his hair. He was possibly the only person allowed in the world to do that, and his privilege was about to be revoked. Crossing his arms fervently, he glanced away as Thunder kept his grip around his chest in a loving, brotherly hug.

"Nobody is holding your loss against you, Lightning. The Brotherhood of Evil was defeated, and we did help. Even though we lost our personal battles, the greater good was achieved," Thunder reasoned, patting his sibling's head like he was a pet. "We cannot all win. The Brain's plan was precise, knowing who was best to defeat us, where we were, and who was coming to assist us. There really was nothing we could do."

Lightning's eyes drifted away at the last statement, wondering how helpless he was.

"Yet…"

He glanced back up uncertainly to his brother.

"I saw how you unloaded that attack on Overload. You really helped Kilowatt back there," Thunder chuckled. "Mas y Menos allowed you to shock Professor Chang before his frozen stupor, yes?"

Lightning paused, recollecting. "Well…yes! They did!" He smiled mirthfully, creating a ball of electricity and threw it between his hands. "They were no match for me!"

"See, brother? There is no reason to be disappointed in yourself. After all, you did defeat them with the help of our friends."

Lightning smirked. "Oh, you and your little speeches on responsibility. I would not be surprised if you lost the ability to have fun!"

"I would not be surprised if you somehow suffocated right now," Thunder sneered, putting his brother in a chokehold.

Gagging, Lightning flailed his arms to try and break his twin's grip. Shouting obscenities, he struggled to break free when the door slammed open. The doctor that Lightning punched stormed in with a bandage wrapped around his enlarged nose. Thunder quickly dropped his brother onto the floor, apologizing for their actions. Lightning dragged himself to stand, mumbling to himself and feebly waved at the doctor.

"Why aren't you resting?" the doctor demanded, narrowing his eyes at Thunder.

"Uh, I was helping my brother cope," Thunder replied nervously.

Since it was not his job to interrogate his patients, Doctor Brigham mused for a brief moment and sighed. "How long will he be staying?"

"Until my brother is well, I am staying," Lightning adamantly stated. "Nothing can alter my mind."

In fear of another punch to his nose, Dr. Brigham sighed and nodded. "Fine. Just don't break anything or do any harm to his healing."

Lightning nodded, glancing over to Thunder before his brother pointed to Dr. Brigham's nose. Crossing his arms, he turned away until Thunder nudged him with his foot. Rubbing his arm sheepishly, he sighed, bowed and apologized.

"It's fine. Not the worst I suffered. I had some crazy guy named, oh, what was his name? Oh, yeah, his name was Speedy. I called him Robin by accident, and he fired about three dozen rounds of arrows at me." The doctor rolled his eyes, exiting the room, muttering, "Crazy teenage superheroes…They should be in school or something."

Lightning smiled. "At least I am forgiven. How long are you to be resting here?"

Thunder paused, humming in thought. "A few days at the most."

"Then I will stay here until you get well, brother."

"Thank you, Lightning."

The brothers smiled at each other, and Lightning sat down by Thunder on his hospital bed. No matter what the situation, Thunder always knew what to say to perk Lightning up. He was rarely vindictive like when Lightning blasted him into the rocks after trying to get him to stop their dangerous fun. Even when he was persuading Thunder to do what he wanted, he still learned from his brother. Their bond was stronger than any siblings' in the Teen Titans.

Then they met Mas y Menos. Let's just say their original introduction wasn't pretty.


End file.
